Philadelphia

Host city to CoreNet Global Summit
imparts texture of urban rebirth

Photo by Coy Butler ©PCVB

It's not the city your father or older brother knew.

It's no longer a "synonym for gritty urban decay" as seen through the eyes of Sly Stallone in the movie Rocky, as related in a recent National Geographic Traveler feature on Philadelphia.

"My theory," writes Andrew Nelson for the publication's web site, "is that, like dogs, each city has its day."

Nelson's extensive profile of the city, host to the CoreNet Global Philadelphia Summit this April 23 - 26, resonates with the promise and excitement of an urban center in the midst of rebirth. "In the 1960s, people flocked to San Francisco; in the '70s, Dallas and Houston got hot; during the '80s, it was Miami, full of vice and sockless loafers; in the '90s, grungy Seattle became Nirvana. Now, in the new century . . . it's Philly's turn for the limelight," the article observes.

The story quotes urban planner Richard Florida, author of the book "Rise of the Creative Class," who refers to Philadelphia as an "open city." Florida notes that cities like Philadelphia that are on the urban, cultural, diversity, architectural and business upswing "have excitement and a sense of creative energy" unlike cities in decline, which the City of Brotherly Love no longer is.

Take the town's burgeoning restaurant scene as an example. Local residents are thrilled that once again they have a choice beyond "steak, steak and fish," quips Nelson.

Photo by Jim Graham ©Buddakan

He continues, "The renaissance of Philadelphia restaurants goes hand in hand with the revitalization of its neighborhoods, John Mariani tells me later. 'Restaurants throw light on streets,' says the Esquire food critic and co-author of the Italian-American Cookbook. 'Sometimes a single restaurant can revitalize a whole section.' Enterprising restaurateurs like Susanna Foo and her Walnut Street eatery, Georges Perrier and his Le Bec-Fin and, of course, Stephen Starr, are bringing the City Center-and Philly cuisine-back to eminence. 'It's back, big time,' Mariani says."

Nelson takes readers on a tour of the city's 152 "distinct neighborhoods," adding, "But it is the Center City, the heart of downtown, that's energizing the rebirth. Trendy restaurants and condominiums abound. A soon-to-be-completed Cesar Pelli skyscraper, the Cira Centre, just across the Schuylkill River, forms a daring twist in the cityscape. The striking Kimmel Center, with its digital-age design, is the new home of the Philadelphia Orchestra."

The author offers a litany of art, entertainment and lifestyle reasons to experience Philadelphia, ranging from its selection as the only U.S. city chosen to host last summer's Live 8 multinational rock concert and the city's 2,400 public art murals to the National Constitution Center's "Vegas-style street parties" and the community's annual Nigerian summer festival attracting 300,000 people. "Enough visitors heed Philly's call that Southwest and Frontier airlines started service here last year, and the cruise terminal on the Delaware now offers 32 annual sailings," Nelson adds.

He compares the re-emergence of the city - the color, dimension and texture of its renaissance - to the famous 1822 self portrait by Charles Willson Peale housed in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. "The artist depicts himself raising a curtain, beckoning visitors into his Philadelphia museum ... Philadelphia is like a stage, no matter whether the performance of the moment is a waltz, rock, or salsa. Keep the red curtain raised, Mr. Peale. This city is ready for its second act."